Cheyenne business owners are the best at working the Internet to their advantage, according to search-engine leader Google.
Google teamed with independent research firm Ipsos to name the "digital capital" of each state based on the online presence of local businesses.
“Digital commerce is something that’s changing so much at this point in time,” said Emma Ogiemwany, a Google spokeswoman. “As more businesses in Cheyenne came online, they all started understanding that.”
The study selected five cities in each state and then delved into 51 random businesses of different sizes in each of those cities to see whether companies kept a website, stayed active on social media and let customers purchase products and services online.
“People research to see what they want to buy before they ever walk into the store, so if you don’t have a website, you are leaving money on the table,” Ogiemwany said.
This is the second year of the eCity program for Google. Casper earned the nod in 2013.
Local business advocates aren’t putting too much stock in the results, but they are more than happy to add it to their promotional materials.
“We make sure to point these things out in any of our marketing outreach, and it will show up on our website,” said Randy Bruns, CEO of Cheyenne LEADS, Laramie County’s economic development arm. “I think we’ve been a key player in bringing some of the elements together that they used to make that designation.”
Recognition never hurts, Bruns explained, but Cheyenne is thinking bigger, striving to be measured among its peers nationwide for being tech savvy.
Cheyenne LEADS played a role in bringing a number of major fiber and data users to Wyoming, Bruns pointed out, and Wyoming as a whole is embracing technology more than locals may recognize.
“In Wyoming, we’ve tended to apologize for what we don’t have, particularly on technology. … We have a lot to offer, and Wyoming businesses are as savvy as their counterparts anywhere in the U.S.,” Bruns said.
The Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce has been trying to foster that tech culture through programs that familiarize business owners with online advertising and social media and the best ways to use both.
“We’ve overhauled a lot of what we have done in the last couple of years to try to be more in tune with advancing technology,” said Dale Steenbergen, CEO and chamber president. “We have changed our website; we communicate differently. … We provide more immediate information to a demographic that demands that.”
The changes have been done with the long-term goal in mind: creating a community that welcomes young professionals interested in starting businesses and careers in the tech field.
Although it’s too early to tell whether it’s a trend, Steenbergen said the early signs are encouraging.
